So a paint shop wouldn't be my first choice of retail therapy but needs must and the shameful state…read moreof the exterior paint on our garage drove me to organise a painter and to my horror I discovered that he won't be bringing the paint with him. So I was forced to enter the alien world of a paint shop as someone had told me I would get a much better price there than in one of the big DIY stores. Happily I was pleasantly surprised as Johnsons is bright and airy and that the nice man working there was able to interpret my vague request for outdoor paint and get me exactly what I needed. He knew what kind of paint I needed (water based masonry paint if you must know) and even how much I would need. He even offered to give me a refund on one of the tins if it turned out that I didn't need it. I had a little chortle at their very proudly displayed certificate to prove that in 2008 the shop was 'an accident free zone'. No sign of a certificate for 2009. Maybe they had a clumsy employee that year.....

Called to get paint mixed to match a colour I had seen in B&Q, for wooden doors. The guy at the…read moretill had a laugh at me going elsewhere to choose a colour, but in good nature. What he didnt know about paint was worth knowing. He took time and with what to use and I was able to get the gloss, undercoat, and few other bits at an amazing price. Was well pleased. Have been back since and got the same service again. Great place to go for professional advice and service.

We needed paint and we needed it cheap. We were painting scenery for our upcoming show, and we were…read moreon a budget and I remembered that my friend's Dad (who is a painter-decorator) used to talk about the good value and service that he would get in this place when he called in to get his paint for whatever job he was doing. So, we hopped in the car to go and source the paint we needed and the people in here couldn't have been more helpful. They really sorted us out with the paint we needed and gave great advice on the right way to use the paints on the canvas scenery we were going to be painting. It's hard to get parked here, being so close to the main Shore Road, but once you do, it's a good place to get your paint - and they help you bring it to the car.

Great paint. What a difference compared to the big DIY stores. Great value and staff very helpful.read more

Popped in here yesterday to pick up some electrical terminal blocks to fit a ceiling light, that…read moresounded very professional didn't it? To be honest I only had a vague idea of what I was looking for but the blokes in Castle helped me out as soon as I walked through the door. This is an old school DIY and hardware store - they seem to have everything behind that counter. The good thing about coming here rather than going to a chain shop is that I was able to walk in ask an expert and leave within 5 minutes. I also didn't have to buy anything I didn't need. They stock plumbing, electrical and decorating equipment including paint but I would suggest just going in and speaking to the guys who work there - they couldn't have been more helpful. What's more, the electrical blocks cost me under £2! Great value!

Castle DIY is an independent hardware store on the Antrim Road, just off by the Cavehill Road…read moreintersection. It's a great place for a bit of local knowledge. I'm not a driver so if something goes wrong or I need to get some paint, its hassle to go to one of the big B&Q or the other big stores. The staff have a great knowledge of everything they sell. I needed some orange paint and whilst they didn't have a certain insane colour (not my choice!), but they offered to get it delivered in withouth any extra charge. Pleasant, knowledgeable guys who will go that extra mile to help.

Decorating an apartment is easy, right? Wrong? It's a minefield! We have plain white walls in a few…read moreof the rooms, so pretty much a blank canvas. You'd think this would make it straight forward to choose paint and wallpaper but it really doesn't. It makes it more confusing, like where do you start? So, that's where Noblett's come in! I had never heard of the place before but apparently it's pretty notorious and is the go to place for wallpaper and paint. On a trip in to town on Saturday we decided to pop in here to have a gander at some stuff. There's roll upon roll of wallpaper over two floors so after about 10 minutes each roll becomes the same pattern and if you stare at them too long you start seeing other things, kinda like Magic Eyes. The choice is endless, so my recommendation (now that I'm an expert) is to go in to Noblett's with a clear idea of what you want. The store is conveniently separated in to different rooms. They do give out samples but you have to ask the staff to cut the sample off the rolls - they seem pretty strict on this as there's signs everywhere. The staff themselves are really helpful. The store is well staffed and there will generally be a member of staff within shouting distance. All in all a really good store - it's nice and personal and still has that family business feel to it.

Nice selection of paint & wall paper but customers be warned , once you had over your money in this…read moreshop you have NO CHANCE of a refund . If your unsure of how many rolls of wall paper to buy and take an extra then realise its not needed then don't expect a refund . Credit note is the best you will get from them so beware

When I was younger my dad was always a bit handy round the house, if anything needed doing, the…read moreidea of calling someone in to do it was always an alien concept. He always did it himself, and it always required a visit to Andy's Stores to get the items needed to complete the job. It looks small from the outside, but inside, it is the untimate hardware store, they have a good selection of pretty much everything you need to get the job done. They have everything from tools, plumbing odds and ends, paints and painting equipment, gardening supplies, electrical supplies, house ware items, locks, key cutting.. you name it. They also seem to be able to compete with the larger DIY stores, which is no big surprise, as they have been in business for years, so they are obviously doing something right. Parking is a bit hit and miss. If you are getting bulky/heavy items, you would want to be parked out the front, but they are on a busy road, so it can be a bit hit and miss as to whether this is possible, but if not, there is a filling station with plenty of parking next door.

Andy's stores is well known in the area for being a great…read more (and cheap to boot!) hardware shop. It's here that you can pick up any number of various electrical / household goods or even find the parts for that item you've just taken apart and tried to put back together (which never works does it?) Well, Andy and his great employees can, more often that not, help you out with whatever DIY problem you may have. I'm not the best minded in that regard and when something breaks I usually run to my dad begging him to help me, though sometimes even Daddy's can't fix everything (Shock I know) and in that event, dad comes to Andy's to solve the problem. If you can't fix it here, then it can't be fixed!

(10 out of 10) I was surprised at the extensive variety of Crown, Dulux, Fleetwood, Leyland,…read moreJohnstones, Osmo and specialise products. The service they provided to me, certainly, beats any other paints shops and superstores, which I have made contact with. Equally the shops at Ballynahinch and Carryduff were Pleasant and Informative. Well worth a visit and great value for money!!!!

Tried to return some colour match paint that didn't match, at all, wasn't even the same colour. A…read moreparticularly jumped up individual named Paddy who claimed to be a manager refused. Said of course the paint wouldn't match even though I used their "colour match" service. He then proceeded to try and guilt trip me by saying he could be sacked if he refunded me. I returned the following day and received a refund off another team member with no trouble. Paddy has ensured that I won't be shopping at this store again. Well done Paddy.

Just bought are first brand new kitchen from b&q. The design…read moreteam were fab and so helpful! They helped us find exactly what I pictured and put it all into a detailed drawing so we could see it all come together! The rest of the store has a massive collection of goods for any job you need to do inside the home or outside! This is the only place we would use for all our diy gear!